Method of controlling an operation of a camera apparatus and a camera apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for controlling an operation of a camera that allows a user to conveniently control a camera apparatus according to a gesture of a subject input through a lens of a camera, and the camera apparatus are provided. The method includes receiving an image input through a camera lens; generating an image frame; detecting a motion of a subject included in the image frame by comparing the image frame with at least one previous frame stored before the image frame is generated; determining whether the motion of the subject is a User Interface (UI) gesture; and performing, if the motion is the UI gesture, an operation corresponding to the UI gesture.

PRIORITY

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 14/169,740filed Jan. 31, 2014, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,175,764 on Jan. 8,2019, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Korean ApplicationSerial No. 10-2013-0011959, which was filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Feb. 1, 2013, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a camera, and moreparticularly, to a method and apparatus of controlling an operation of acamera according to a gesture of a subject input through a lens of thecamera.

2. Description of the Related Art

A digital image processing apparatus generally refers to all apparatusesthat process an image of a digital camera, such as a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), a phone camera, etc., and/or apparatus that use animage recognition sensor. A digital image processing apparatus canprocess an image received through an imaging device via a digital signalprocessor, compress the received image, generate an image file basedupon the received image, and then store the generated image file in amemory.

As major consumers of digital cameras have extended from a fewspecialists to the general public, the age range and use field ofconsumers of digital cameras has expanded. In particular, consumers ofdigital cameras in ages ranging from the teens to the thirtiesfrequently take pictures of themselves by using the camera. However,when users take pictures of themselves, it is not easy for the users topress a shutter of the camera while focusing on themselves. Further,while a lens is typically disposed on a front surface of the digitalcamera, a menu button for changing a setting of the camera is disposedon a rear surface of the camera. When a user takes a self-picturethrough the camera, since the user acts as the subject, the user must belocated in front of the camera. Accordingly, it becomes more difficultfor the user to use desired functions of the digital camera while takingthe self-picture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of controllingan operation of a camera apparatus according to a gesture of a subjectinput through a lens of a camera, and the camera apparatus.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an electronicdevice is provided that includes a camera, a memory, a display that isconfigured to display a first image and a second image captured by thecamera, and a controller that is configured to detect, from the firstimage and the second image, a transition of a shape of a hand of a userbetween an opened hand and a closed hand, and permanently store a thirdimage, captured after detecting the transition of the shape of the handof the user, in the memory.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method ofoperating an electronic device is provided, with the method includingcapturing a first image and a second image of a user; detecting, fromthe first image and the second image, a transition of a shape of a handof the user between an opened hand and a closed hand; and permanentlystoring a third image, captured after detecting the transition of theshape of the hand of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a cameraapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of controllingan operation of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operation of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operation of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operation of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6A to 6D are diagrams illustrating User Interface (UI) gesturesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a UI gesture, and FIGS. 7B and 7C arediagrams of an image frame displayed on a display unit according to asuccessive UI gesture according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 8A to 8D are diagrams illustrating a second UI gesture illustratedin FIG. 7B;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operation of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a motion trace of a UI gesturerecognized by a gesture recognizer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the motion trace of the UI gesturerecognized by the gesture recognizer according to another embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12A illustrates an image displayed on a display unit of a cameraapparatus operating according to the method illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12B illustrates an image input and shot by a lens of a cameraapparatus according to the method illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a successive UI gesture and imageprocessing according to the successive UI gesture according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating the successive UI gestureand the image processing according to the successive UI gestureaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described withreference to the accompanying drawings. Various specific definitionsfound in the following description are included merely to help providegeneral understanding of the present invention, and embodiments of thepresent invention exclusively limited to such definitions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a cameraapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a camera apparatus 100 includes a camera 110, agesture recognizer 120, a memory 130, a controller 140, a user inputunit 152, and a display unit 154.

The camera 110 receives an image provided through a lens (not shown).The camera 110 according to the present embodiment includes at least twolenses. The camera 110 can receive a User Interface (UI) gesturegenerated as a user who uses the camera apparatus 100 or a subject shotby the camera apparatus 100 moves. The camera 110 converts an imageinput through the lens to an image frame. The camera 110 cancontinuously store images input through the lens in the unit of framesin real time or temporarily store such images. The camera 110 cansequentially receive motions of the subject corresponding to one or moreUI gestures from the subject.

Hereinafter, an image frame converted from a currently input image amongimage frames generated by the camera 110 is referred to as a “currentframe” and an image frame before the current frame is generated isreferred to as a “previous frame”.

The gesture recognizer 120 detects a motion of the user or subject(i.e., a gesture) from images input through the camera 110. The gesturerecognizer 120 compares the current frame generated by the camera 110with at least one previous frame to determine the gesture of the user orsubject.

The gesture recognizer 120 can detect the user or subject from imageframes that are converted in real time through the camera 110. Withrespect of each of the image frames, the gesture recognizer 120 cangenerate frame data including data such as outline, brightness,saturation, color, coordinate and the like of various objects includedin each of the image frames. The gesture recognizer 120 detects thesubject by using the frame data with respect to each of the imageframes. The gesture recognizer 120 can determine an object in which apreset number of image frames has not been changed in outline,brightness, saturation, color, and coordinate as the subject under acontrol of the controller 140.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the term “user”corresponds to a person who performs the camera shooting by using thecamera apparatus 100, and the “subject” corresponds to a person who isshot by the camera apparatus 100. The subject may include the user ofthe camera apparatus 100, such as during a self-shot, for example.

The gesture recognizer 120 compares at least one previous frame and thecurrent frame in order to determine a motion of the subject included ineach of the frames. The gesture recognizer 120 can determine the motionof the subject by comparing a predetermined number of frames pre-storedin the memory 130 or image frames input for a preset time, according toembodiments of the present invention.

The gesture recognizer 120 detects a motion area from the image. The“motion area” refers to an area where the motion of the subject islargest in the image frame. The gesture recognizer 120 can extract themotion area by comparing two or more image frames. The motion areaincludes at least a part of the image frame.

When the motion area is detected, the gesture recognizer 120 predicts amotion trace of the subject in the motion area under a control of thecontroller 140. The motion of the subject may not be entirely receivedthrough the lens of the camera 110 according the motion of the subject.For example, when the subject draws a circle by using a hand, a part ofthe circle drawn by the subject may extend beyond an angle of view ofthe lens and may not be input through the camera 110. As describedabove, when the motion of the subject is not entirely input through thelens of the camera 110, the gesture recognizer 120 is able to predictthe motion trace of the subject in the motion area.

For example, a subject may draw a circle in previous frames generatedbefore the current frame by using a right hand. The gesture recognizer120 detects an area in which the right hand is moved by the subject asthe “motion area” and recognizes that the right hand of the subjectdraws the circle in the motion area. Accordingly, the gesture recognizer120 expands the current frame to predict the motion trace along whichthe circle is drawn in an area where the right hand of the subjectescapes from the angle of view of the camera 110 under a control of thecontroller 140.

Herein, a gesture for requesting an operation of the camera apparatus100 among gestures recognized by the gesture recognizer 120 is referredto as a “UI gesture”. For example, a subject may draw a circle by usingthe right hand, and then the lens of the camera 110 may be zoomed-in. Inthe above example, an action in which the subject draws the circlecorresponds to the UI gesture.

The gesture recognizer 120 can detect UI gestures successively inputfrom the subject in the motion area through the lens of the camera 110.For example, the gesture recognizer 120 can sequentially detect a firstgesture and a second gesture of the subject in the motion area. Forexample, the subject may provide a UI gesture corresponding to zoom-inand then provide another UI gesture corresponding to a camera shootingoperation. In this case, the camera apparatus 100 receives the firstgesture and the second gesture as UI gestures and sequentially performsa zoom-in operation and a camera shooting operation. As described above,two or more UI gestures sequentially input through the camera 110 arereferred to as a “successive UI gesture”.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the successive UIgesture may be input to the camera 110 to perform a particular operationthat can be performed by the camera apparatus 100 and perform theparticular operation in stages. For example, when the successive UIgesture includes the first gesture and the second gesture, the firstgesture may be a UI gesture for requesting a zoom-in, and the secondgesture may be a UI gesture corresponding to a magnification value (forexample, “three times”) of the zoom-in/out. For example, when thesubject moves in an order of “the first gesture→the second gesture” andthe controller 140 determines that the first gesture and the secondgesture are a successive UI gesture, the controller 140 can control thecamera apparatus 100 to 3× zoom-in on the subject of the shootingthrough the camera 110. According to another embodiment of the presentinvention, the first gesture may be a gesture for making a request forzoom-in and the second gesture may be a UI gesture corresponding to amagnification value (for example, “⅓ times”). It is assumed that thefirst gesture and the second gesture are sequentially input as thesubject moves in the order of “the first gesture→the second gesture”.The controller 140 can control the camera apparatus 100 to performzoom-out by reducing a size of the subject shot through the camera 110by ⅓.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the firstgesture may correspond to “2× zoom-in” of zoom-in operations and thesecond gesture may correspond to the “3× zoom-in”. In this case, thesubject is moved in the order of “the first gesture→the second gesture”and the controller 140 determines the gestures as the successive UIgesture. After first 2× zoom-in on the subject shot through the camera110, the controller 140 can control the camera apparatus 100 to 3×zoom-in the 2× zoomed-in subject. Accordingly, the initial subject maybe “2×3 times” (i.e., 6×) zoomed-in.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, even when a motionof the subjection is not entirely input through the lens of the camera110, the gesture recognizer 120 can predict a motion trace of thesubject. For example, when the subject inputs a UI gesture of drawing acircle by using a hand, before completing the 360° circle, the gesturerecognizer 120 detects the motion of the subject input through thecamera 110, predicts the motion trace along which the hand of thesubject moves, and determines that the subject drew the circle of 360°.

For example, the gesture recognizer 120 may consider that the subjectdrew the 360° circle even though the subject has drawn only 330° of the360° circle. Further, the motion of the subject considered as describedabove may be detected by the gesture recognizer 120 as a UI gesture.

Various data for controlling operations of the camera apparatus 100 isstored in the memory 130. Image frames input in real time through thecamera 110 may be stored in the memory 130 for either temporary orlong-term storage. Further, the memory 130 stores various UI gesturesand operations of the camera apparatus 100 corresponding to the UIgestures. The memory 130 stores a successive UI gesture and variousoperations of the camera apparatus 100 corresponding to the successiveUI gesture. Further, the memory 130 stores a reference time to determinewhether the UI gestures are successively input (i.e., whether thesuccessive UI gesture is input). For example, when the second gesture isinput within the reference time after the first gesture is recognized bythe gesture recognizer 120, the controller 140 determines that the firstgesture and the second gesture are a successive UI gesture.

Herein, the term “UI gesture” refers to a gesture provided for executinga particular operation by the camera apparatus among motions of thesubject detected by the gesture recognizer 120. The UI gesture includes,for example, gestures for performing zoom-in, zoom-out, shooting,increasing/decreasing a shutter speed, increasing/decreasingInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) setting,controlling white balance, controlling a focus position, identifyingwhether a continuous shooting is performed, controlling a colortemperature, identifying existence or non-existence of the use of aflash, and selecting a shoot mode.

The shoot mode includes, for example, at least one of a program AutoExposure (AE) mode, a shutter priority AE mode, an aperture priority AEmode, a manual exposure mode, and a bulb exposure mode.

The controller 140 controls general operations of the camera apparatus100.

The controller 140, according to an embodiment of the present invention,determines whether the motion of the subject detected from the gesturerecognizer 120 is the UI gesture. When the UI gesture is detected by thegesture recognizer 120, the controller 140 controls the camera apparatus100 to perform an operation corresponding to the corresponding UIgesture.

The controller 140 controls the camera apparatus 100 to perform anoperation corresponding to each of the UI gestures included in thesuccessive UI gesture according to the successive UI gesture.

For example, when the first gesture is a request for a zoom-in and thesecond gesture is a request for an operation corresponding to amagnification of zoom-in/out. When the first gesture is detected by thegesture recognizer 120 and the second gesture is input from the subjectjust after the first gesture is input, the controller 140 determines thefirst gesture and the second gesture as a “successive UI gesture”. Thecontroller 140 controls the camera apparatus 100 to perform operationscorresponding to the successive UI gesture.

The controller 140 determines whether the second gesture is input fromthe subject within a reference time just after the first gesture isinput. When the second gesture is not input within the reference time,the controller 140 determines that the first gesture and the secondgesture are separate UI gestures. When the second gesture is inputwithin the reference time, the controller 140 determines that the firstgesture and the second gesture are a successive UI gesture.

The user input unit 152 receives a user input received by the cameraapparatus 100. The user input unit 152 receives the user input forreceiving the UI gesture.

The user input unit 152 receives the user input corresponding to amotion area. For example, when the user input unit 152 receives an “arm”of a subject's body as a main motion area from the user, the gesturerecognizer 120 first analyzes whether an area including the arm of thesubject is the motion area of the image frame. As described above, whenthe motion area is preset by the user, the gesture recognizer 120detects the motion area within a reduced amount of time.

The display unit 154 displays various data of the camera apparatus 100.According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display unit154 displays an image input in real time through the lens of the camera110 by using a touch screen or another corresponding device installed inthe display unit 154. Further, the display unit 154 displays a picturefile stored in the memory 130.

The display unit 154 displays a UI gesture input in real time throughthe lens of the camera 110.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method of controllingoperations of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the camera apparatus 100 receives an image inputthrough the camera 110, in step S202. The camera 110 generates an imageframe by using the image input in step S202 and transmits the generatedimage frame to the gesture recognizer 120. With respect to the presentexample, the generated image frame is referred to as a “current frame”and an image frame generated before the current frame is referred to asa “previous frame”.

The gesture recognizer 120 detects a subject included in the currentframe, in step S204. In step S206, the gesture recognizer 120 comparesthe current frame with at least one previous frame to detect a motion ofthe subject detected in step S204.

In step S208, when the motion of the subject is detected, the controller140 determines whether the motion of the subject detected in step S206is the UI gesture. In step S210, when the motion of the subject is theUI gesture as a result of the determination of step S208, the controller140 determines an operation corresponding to the detected UI gesture.The controller 140 can determine the operation corresponding to the UIgesture by searching the memory 130.

When the operation corresponding to the UI gesture is determined, thecontroller 140 executes the operation corresponding to the UI gesture bycontrolling the camera apparatus 100, in step S212.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operations of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG.1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the camera apparatus 100 receives an image inputthrough the camera 110 in step S302. The camera 110 generates an imageframe by using the image input in step S302 and transmits the generatedimage frame to the gesture recognizer 120.

The gesture recognizer 120 detects a subject included in the imageframe, in step S304. The gesture recognizer 120 compares the currentframe with at least one previous frame to detect a motion of the subjectdetected in step S304 in step S306.

When the motion of the subject is detected, the controller 140determines whether the motion of the subject detected in step S306 is azoom-in gesture, in step S308. When the motion of the subject isdetermined to be a zoom-in gesture as a result of the determination ofstep S308, the controller 140 performs a zoom-in operation bycontrolling the camera apparatus 100 in step S310. Accordingly, an imageof the zoomed-in subject is displayed in the display unit 154.

Upon a determination that the motion of the subject is not the zoom-ingesture as a result of the determination of step S308 (S308: no), thecontroller 140 determines whether the motion detected in step S306 is azoom-out gesture, in step S312. Upon a determination that the motion isthe zoom-out gesture as a result of the determination of step S312(S312: yes), the controller performs a zoom-out operation by controllingthe camera apparatus 100 in step S314. Accordingly, an image of thezoomed-out subject is displayed in the display unit 154.

Upon a determination that the motion is not the zoom-out gesture as aresult of the determination of step S312 (S312: no), the controller 140determines whether the motion detected in step S306 is a shoot gesturein step S316. Upon a determination that the motion is the shoot gestureas a result of the determination of step S316 (S316: yes), thecontroller 140 performs a shoot operation by controlling the cameraapparatus 100 in step S318. Accordingly, the camera 110 converts theimage frame input through the lens (i.e., the current frame) to an imagefile and stores the image file in the memory 130. Further, under acontrol of the controller 140, the camera apparatus 100 displays theimage file stored in the memory 130 through the display unit 154.

Although the present example according to an embodiment of the presentinvention follows an order in which the controller 140 determineswhether the motion of the subject detected in step S306 is the zoom-ingesture, determines whether the motion of the subject is the zoom-outgesture, and then determines whether the motion of the subject is theshoot gesture, types of the UI gestures may be determined according toanother order in accordance with other embodiments of the presentinvention. According to another embodiment, the controller 140 cansearch for the same UI gesture as the motion of the subject detected instep S306 in the memory 130.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the method ofcontrolling the operations of the camera apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1. In the example according to FIG. 4, the UI gesture input to thecamera apparatus 100 is the UI gesture for shooting or zoom-inoperation.

Further, in the example according to FIG. 4, a value for determining atype of UI gesture of the subject input through the camera 110 (i.e.,gmask) is set as true(=1). More specifically, the value true(=1) isalready stored in the memory 130 as the gmask.

In the present example a circle shape gesture is the UI gesture for thezoom-in operation and a linear gesture is the UI gesture for theshooting operation. In the present example, a value of the motion tracepredicted by the gesture recognizer 120 is “1” when the circle shapegesture is performed, and the value is “0” when the linear gesture isperformed. The camera apparatus 100 receives an image input through thecamera 110. The camera 110 generates an image frame by using the imageinput through the camera 110 and transmits the generated image frame(i.e., the current frame) to the gesture recognizer 120.

The gesture recognizer 120 detects a subject included in the image framein step S402. In step S404, the gesture recognizer 120 detects a motionof the subject detected in step S402. When the motion of the subject isdetected, the gesture recognizer 120 detects an area in which thesubject moves (i.e., a motion area), in step S406. When the motion areais detected, the gesture recognizer 120 predicts a motion trace of thesubject in the motion area, in step S408. Herein, “motion trace” refersto a movement path along in which at least a part of the subject moveswithin the image frames according to the motion of the subject. Thegesture recognizer 120 predicts a motion of the subject within the firstand second motion areas based on the first motion areas included in theprevious frames and the second motion area included in the currentframes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 140predicts whether the motion trace is a circle shape gesture (=true) or alinear gesture (=false) in step S408. Accordingly, in step S410, thecontroller 140 compares gmask with the value (true or false) predictedin step S408. The controller 140 determines whether the gmask istrue(=1), in step S410. In step s412, upon a determination that gmask istrue as a result of the determination of step S410 (S410: yes), thecontroller 140 determines that the motion of the subject detected instep S404 is the circle shape gesture. The circle shape gesture is agesture in which the motion trace of the subject detected by the cameraapparatus 100 has a circle shape. The subject can input the circle shapegesture into the camera 110 by performing an operation of drawing acircle or oval shape by using a hand.

The controller 140 determines whether a center angle of the circle shapegesture (i.e., the circle drawn by the subject) is 270° or greater, instep S414. The determination of whether the center angle of the circleis 270° or larger is performed in order to determine whether a circledrawn by the subject as the circle shape gesture even when the subjecthas not completely drawn the circle or when a part of the circle drawnby the subject escapes from the angle of view. Accordingly, the centerangle 270° of the circle becomes a reference value for determiningwhether the motion input by the subject is a motion included in the UIgesture. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the centerangel of the circle may include various values such as 180°, 360°, etc.The center angle is an angle of an arc of the circle drawn by thesubject with respect to a center of the circle. In the present example,the controller 140 recognizes the motion of the subject as the UIgesture corresponding to the circle shape gesture when the center angel270° or greater and performs an operation corresponding to the circleshape gesture.

Upon a determination that the center angle is 270° or greater as aresult of the determination of step S414 (S414: yes), the controller 140performs the zoom-in operation by controlling the camera apparatus 100,in step S416.

Upon a determination that the center angle is less than 270° as a resultof the determination of step S414 (S414: no), the controller 140 changesthe gmask into a reverse value of true, that is, false(=0), in stepS424. Accordingly, when the center angle is less than 270°, controller140 determines that the UI gesture is not a circle shape gesture.Accordingly, the controller 140 can determine whether the UI gesturecorresponds to the linear gesture. The controller 410 also controls thecamera apparatus 100 to perform an operation corresponding to the lineargesture by repeating steps S410 to S422.

Upon a determination that the gmask is not true(=1) as a result of thedetermination of step S410 (S410: no), that is, the gmask is false(=0),the controller 140 determines that the motion of the subject detected instep S404 is the linear gesture, in step S418. The linear gesture refersto a gesture in which a linear motion of the subject input through thelens of the camera 110. For example, the subject can input the lineargesture into the camera 110 by drawing a line from a left side to aright side or from a right side to a left side by using a hand. Thesubject can also input the linear gesture into the camera 110 by drawinga line from an upper side to a lower side or from a lower side to anupper side.

The controller 140 determines whether the linear gesture is equal to orlarger than a reference value, in step S420. At this time, the referencevalue is also used to determine whether a line drawn by the subject is alinear gesture, even when the line has not been completely drawn or atleast a part of the line extends beyond the angle of view during aprocess in which the subject draws the line. For example, a line havinga length of at least 30 cm drawn by the hand of the subject from a leftside to a right side may be determined to be a linear gesture. When theline drawn by the subject becomes at least 25 cm, the controller 140 ofthe camera apparatus 100 determines that the line is a linear gesture.In step S420, 25 cm may be the reference value, for example.

Upon a determination that a length of the line is equal to or largerthan the reference value as a result of the determination of step S420(S420: yes), the controller 140 performs a shooting operation bycontrolling the camera apparatus 100, in step S422.

Upon a determination that the length of the line is less than thereference value as a result of the determination of step S420 (S420:no), the controller 140 reverses the value of gmask, in step S426. Sincea center angle is less than 270°, controller 140 determines that the UIgesture is not the circle shape gesture. Accordingly, the controller 140can determine whether the UI gesture corresponds to the circle shapegesture. The controller 410 can control the camera apparatus 100 toperform an operation corresponding to the circle shape gesture byrepeating steps S410 to S416.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operations of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG.1.

Referring to FIG. 5, the gesture recognizer 120 of the camera apparatus100 detects a first gesture as the UI gesture, in step S502.

Before performing step S502, the camera apparatus 100 detects at leastone UI gesture input through the camera 110. A process in which thegesture recognizer 120 detects the UI gesture is described as follows.The camera 110 generates an image frame by using an image input throughthe lens. Next, the camera 110 transmits the image frame, (i.e., thecurrent frame) to the gesture recognizer 120. The gesture recognizer 120detects a subject included in the image frame. Next, the gesturerecognizer 120 detects a motion area in the image frame. When the motionarea is detected, the gesture recognizer 120 determines a motion traceof the subject in the motion area. The gesture recognizer 120 candetermine a motion of the subject within first and second motion areasbased on the first motion areas included in previous frames and thesecond motion area included in current frames. In the present example,the process in which the gesture recognizer 120 detects the UI gestureis omitted for convenience.

When a first gesture is detected, the controller 140 determines whichoperation corresponds to the first gesture, in step S504. The controller140 determines whether a second gesture is input within a referencetime, in step S506.

Upon a determination that the second gesture is not input within thereference time as a result of the determination of step S506 (S506: no),the camera apparatus 100 performs only the operation corresponding tothe first gesture, in step S514.

Upon a determination that the second gesture is input within thereference time as a result of the determination of step S506 (S506:yes), the controller 140 determines that the first gesture and thesecond gesture are a successive UI gesture, in step S508. The controller140 determines an operation corresponding to the successive UI gesture,in step S510. The camera apparatus 100 performs the operationcorresponding to the successive UI gesture, in step S512.

In the present example, the operation corresponding to the UI gestureincluding one gesture may be different from the operation correspondingto the successive UI gesture including at least two gestures. Forexample, the operation corresponding to the first gesture may be azoom-in operation, and the operation corresponding to the successive UIgesture including the first gesture and the second gesture may be ashooting mode change operation of the camera apparatus 100. According tothe above example, when only the first gesture is input from the subjectthrough the camera 110, the camera apparatus 100 performs the zoom-inoperation. When the successive UI gesture, in which the first gestureand the second gesture are successively input, is input by the subject,the camera apparatus 100 changes the shooting mode.

FIGS. 6A to 6D are diagrams illustrating UI gestures according to anembodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIGS. 6A to 6D,the subject is a user of the camera apparatus 100.

FIG. 6A corresponds to a zoom-in gesture requesting for a zoom-inoperation, and FIG. 6B corresponds to a zoom-out gesture of requesting azoom-out operation. When the subject performs the zoom-in gesture ofrotating the hand clockwise, the camera apparatus 100 detects thezoom-in gesture and performs a zoom-in operation. When the subjectperforms the zoom-out gesture of rotating the hand counterclockwise, thecamera apparatus 100 detects the zoom-out gesture and performs azoom-out operation.

FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrate a vertical gesture and a horizontal gesturefor requesting for a camera shooting operation. When the subject makesthe vertical gesture of lowering or raising the hand in a verticaldirection, the camera apparatus 100 detects the vertical gesture andperforms a shooting operation. Further, when the subject makes thehorizontal gesture of moving the hand from a right side to a left sideor a left side to a right side in a horizontal direction, the cameraapparatus 100 detects the horizontal gesture and shoots the subject.

As described above, the subject (i.e., the user can) zoom-in or zoom-outthe lens of the camera 110 without a direct control of the cameraapparatus 100 by making the motions corresponding to the UI gesturesillustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Further, the subject can control thecamera apparatus 100 to shoot the subject itself without a directcontrol of the camera apparatus 100, by making the motions correspondingto the UI gestures illustrated in FIGS. 6C and 6D.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a UI gesture and FIGS. 7B and 7C arediagrams illustrating an image frame displayed on the display unit 154according to a successive UI gesture according to another embodiment ofthe present invention. In the present example, each of successive UIgestures of FIGS. 7B and 7C is used to perform the zoom-in operation ofthe camera 110 and the zoom-out operation of the camera 110.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the gesture recognizer 120 detects a motion area700 included in an image frame 720 (hereinafter, referred to an originalframe) generated in real time through the camera 110, and traces ordetermines a motion of the subject in the motion area 700. In thepresent example, the subject inputs a ClockWise (CW) gesture 702 ofrotating the hand clockwise or a CounterClockWise (CCW) gesture 712 ofrotating the hand counterclockwise into the camera apparatus 100 as theUI gesture.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the subject inputs a second Clockwise (2CW)gesture 704 into the camera apparatus 100 just after inputting the firstClockWise (1CW) 702. It is assumed that the subject rotates the hand bya center angle of A° when making the 2CW gesture 704. As illustrated inFIG. 7B, the subject can input the successive UI gesture into the camera110 by sequentially making the 1CW gesture 702 and the 2CW gesture 704.

The successive UI gesture of FIG. 7B is used to perform the zoom-inoperation of the camera 110. The subject requests a zoom-in operation bymaking the 1CW gesture 702 and inputs a zoom-in magnification by makingthe 2CW gesture 704, which is successively performed with the 1CWgesture 702. In the example according to FIG. 7B, the magnificationcorresponds to a center angle of the 2CW gesture 704 and a magnificationcorresponding to A° is “three times”. The controller 140 controls thecamera 110 to 3× zoom-in the lens of the camera 110 and generates animage frame 730 (hereinafter, referred to as an “enlarged frame”) whenthe lens of the camera 110 is 3× zoomed-in.

Referring to FIG. 7C, the subject inputs a second CounterClockWise(2CCW) gesture 714 into the camera apparatus 100 just after inputtingthe first CounterClockWise (1CCW) gesture 712. In the present example,the subject rotates the hand by a center angle of B° when performing the2CCW gesture 714. As illustrated in FIG. 7C, the subject can input thesuccessive UI gesture into the camera apparatus 100 by sequentiallyperforming the 1CCW gesture 712 and the 2CCW gesture 714.

The successive UI gesture of FIG. 7C is used to perform the zoom-outoperation of the camera 110. The subject requests the camera apparatus100 to perform a zoom-out operation by making the 1CCW gesture 712 andinputs a zoom-out magnification into the camera apparatus 100 by makingthe 2CCW gesture 714, which is successively performed with the 1CCWgesture 712. In the example according to FIG. 7C, the magnificationcorresponds to a center angle of the 2CCW gesture 714 and amagnification corresponding to B° is “½ times”. The controller 140controls the camera 110 to ½× zoom-out the lens of the camera 110, andthe camera 110 generates an image frame 740 (hereinafter, referred to asa reduced frame) when the lens is ½× zoomed-out.

Referring to FIG. 7C, when the 1CCW gesture 712 is input, the enlargedframe 730 is displayed on the display unit 154. As the 2CCW gesture 714is input, the display unit 154 displays the reduced frame 740 of whichthe magnification is ½ reduced from the enlarged frame 730.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are diagrams illustrating the second UI gestureillustrated in FIG. 7B. FIGS. 8A to 8D all correspond to a second UIgesture performed in a circle shape input after the first UI gesture ofFIG. 7B, i.e., after the 1CW gesture 702 is input into the cameraapparatus 100 by the subject 800.

In the present example, the subject 800 can provide a request forzoom-in operations of different magnifications by drawing the second UIgestures in the circle shapes having different center angles by usingthe hand illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8D.

FIG. 8A illustrates a second UI gesture having a center angle of 90°,FIG. 8B illustrates a second UI gesture having a center angle of 180°,FIG. 8C illustrates a second UI gesture having a center angle of 270°,and FIG. 8D illustrates second UI gesture having a center angle of 360°.

In the examples of FIGS. 8A to 8D, the zoom-in magnification is twotimes when the center angle is 90°, the zoom-in magnification is threetimes when the center angle is 180°, the zoom-in magnification is fourtimes when the center angel is 270°, and the zoom-in magnification isfive times when the center angle is 360°. According to the presentexample, the user, i.e., the subject 800 can provide a request for adesired zoom-in magnification to the camera apparatus 100 by drawing thesecond UI gesture corresponding to each magnification with the user'shand. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the subject 800, whenthe circle drawn by the hand has a center angle corresponding to adesired magnification, the subject 800 can inform the camera apparatus100 that an input of the second UI gesture has been completed bystopping a motion of the hand in any of positions 801, 802, and 803,respectively, in which the magnification becomes the correspondingcenter angle. When the motion of the subject 800 is stopped in any ofthe positions 801, 802, and 803, the controller 140 of the cameraapparatus 100 can control the gesture recognizer 120 to estimate thecenter angle of the circle drawn by the hand of the subject 800. Whenthe center angle is estimated by the gesture recognizer 120, thecontroller 140 controls the camera 110 to zoom-in the lens with themagnification corresponding to the center angle.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when thecircle drawn by the hand has a center angle corresponding to a desiredmagnification, the subject 800 can complete an input of the second UIgesture by returning the hand to an original position. When the hand isreturned to a corresponding one of the original positions 811, 812, 813,and 814 from the positions 801, 802, and 803 in which the magnificationbecomes the corresponding center angle, the controller 140 of the cameraapparatus 100 controls the gesture recognizer 120 to estimate the centerangle of the circle drawn by the hand of the subject 800. When thecenter angle is estimated by the gesture recognizer 120, the controller140 controls the camera 110 to zoom-in the lens with a magnificationcorresponding to the center angle.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the method ofcontrolling the operations of the camera apparatus illustrated in FIG.1.

Referring to FIG. 9, the camera apparatus 100 initializes the zoom-inoperation, in step S902. In step S902, the camera apparatus 100 is in astate where the camera 110 is driven and accordingly initializes thezoom of the lens included in the camera 110.

Further, in FIG. 9, the zoom of the camera apparatus 100 may be dividedinto an analog zoom and a digital zoom. The analog zoom refers to anoperation in which the camera apparatus 100 physically moves the lens ofthe camera 110 in order to increase or reduce a size of the subjectwithin an image input through the lens. The digital zoom refers to anoperation of enlarging or reducing at least a part of an image framegenerated by the camera 110 in order to increase or reduce a size of thesubject within an image input through the lens.

In the present example, when the camera apparatus 100 receives a userinput for requesting a zoom-in/out operation from the user, the cameraapparatus 100 performs an analog zoom-in/out operation. Further, in thepresent example, the camera apparatus 100 displays the subjectzoomed-in/out using the digital zoom of the digital zoom-in/out on thedisplay unit 154 until the user input for requesting a camera shootingoperation is input.

The camera apparatus 100 receives an image input through the camera 100and detects a subject, in step S904. The camera apparatus 100 traces amotion of the subject in real time, in step S906. The camera apparatus100 receives the image input through the camera 110 and generates animage frame by using the image. The gesture recognizer 120 can trace, inreal time, the motion of the subject by comparing the current frame withat least one previous frame and detecting the motion of the subject.

When the motion traced in real time is the UI gesture, the controller140 determines that the UI gesture is input from the camera 110. Whenthe camera 110 of the camera apparatus 100 receives the UI gesture fromthe subject, the controller 140 determines whether the UI gesture is azoom-in gesture, in step S910.

Upon determining that the UI gesture is the zoom-in gesture, as a resultof the determination of step S910 (S910: yes), the controller 140performs a digital zoom-in operation by controlling the camera apparatus100, in step S912. Accordingly, an image including the zoom-in subjectis displayed on the display unit 154. Thereafter, the camera apparatus100 continuously receives the UI gesture from the subject by tracing themotion of the subject in real time, in step S906.

Upon a determination that the UI gesture is not the zoom-in gesture as aresult of the determination of step S910 (S910: no), the controller 140determines whether the UI gesture received in step S908 is a zoom-outgesture, in step S914. Upon a determination that the UI gesture is thezoom-out gesture as a result of the determination of step S914 (S914:yes), the controller 140 performs a zoom-out operation with the digitalzoom by controlling the camera apparatus 100, in step S916. Accordingly,an image including the zoomed-out subject may be displayed on thedisplay unit 154. Thereafter, the camera apparatus 100 continuouslyreceives the UI gesture from the subject by tracing the motion of thesubject in real time, in step S906.

Upon a determination that the UI gesture is not the zoom-out gesture asa result of the determination of step S916 (S916: no), the controller140 determines whether the UI gesture received in step S906 is a camerashoot gesture in step S918. Upon a determination that the UI gesture isa camera shoot gesture as a result of the determination of step S918(S918: yes), the controller 140 switches the digital zoom to the analogzoom by controlling the camera apparatus 100, in step S920. For example,when the camera 110 is currently 3× zoomed-in with the digital zoom, thecontroller 140 controls the camera 110 to be switched to a 3× zoomed-instate with the analog zoom. Thereafter, the camera apparatus 100performs a shooting operation with the analog zoom, in step S922.

As described above, according to embodiments of the present invention,it is possible to switch the digital zoom to the analog zoom only afterthe shoot gesture is input. Accordingly, the image frame displayedthrough the display unit 154 in the processes from step S902 to stepS918 of FIG. 9 before the shooting operation may be an image frameprocessed by the digital zoom.

Further, the images input through the lens of the camera 110 in theprocesses from step S902 to step S918 of FIG. 9 may be the sameregardless of an input of the zoom-in gesture or zoom-out gesture. Forexample, when a final magnification of the zoom-in/out is determined,the camera apparatus 100 can drive an optical lens of the camera 110according to the final magnification.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a motion trace of a UI gesturerecognized by the gesture recognizer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a motion traceof a UI gesture recognized by the gesture recognizer according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating a second UI gesturesuccessively input from the subject and a motion trace of the subjectaccording to the second UI gesture on an image frame.

Referring to FIG. 10, subject 1001, is depicted by hands 1001-1, 1001-2,1001-3, 1001-4, and 1001-5, which correspond to a single hand atdifferent time points. The subject 1001 successively inputs a circleshape gesture 1010 into the camera apparatus 100 by rotating the hands1001-1, 1001-2, 1001-3, 1001-4, and 1001-5 clockwise. The cameraapparatus 100 determines a zoom-in magnification according to each ofcenter angles determined by each of the hands 1001-1, 1001-2, 1001-3,1001-4, and 1001-5 making the circle shape gesture 1010. In the exampleaccording to FIG. 10, each of the center angles is determined based on acenter point 1011 of the circle shape gesture 1010 and a start point1002 of the circle shape gesture 1010.

In FIG. 10, the zoom-in magnification of the camera 110 is successivelychanged as the subject 1001 successively makes the circle shape gesture1010 as the subject 1001 successively moves, as shown by the sequence ofhands 1001-1, 1001-2, 1001-3, 1001-4, and 1001-5.

When the hand 1001-2 reaches a first point P1, the controller 140 cancontrol the camera apparatus 100 to perform the zoom-in by amagnification corresponding to a first center angle A1°. Thereafter,when the hand 1001-3 reaches a second point P2. The controller 140controls the camera apparatus 100 to perform the zoom-in by amagnification corresponding to a second center angle A2°. When the hand1001-4 reaches a third point P3, the controller 140 controls the cameraapparatus 100 to perform the zoom-in by a magnification corresponding toa third center angle A3°. When the hand 1001-5 reaches a fourth pointP4, the controller 140 controls the camera apparatus 100 to perform thezoom-in by a magnification corresponding to a fourth center angle A4°.

Since the zoom-in magnification of the camera apparatus 100 is changedin real time while the circle shape gesture 1010 is drawn in real timeaccording to the sequence of hands 1001-1, 1001-2, 1001-3, 1001-4, and1001-5, the motion trace 1020 drawn by the hands 1001-1, 1001-2, 1001-3,1001-4, and 1001-5 may not be equal to the circle shape gesture 1010.

When the circle shape gesture 1010 is not equal to the motion trace1020, the camera apparatus 100 may not correctly recognize the circleshape gesture 1010. Accordingly, in the present invention, the motiontrace of the UI gesture may be traced after the UI gesture is completelyinput by the subject 1100, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

In a manner similar to the example of FIG. 10, in FIG. 11, the subject1101, depicted by the sequence of hands 1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-3, 1101-4,and 1101-5, successively inputs a circle shape gesture 1110 into thecamera apparatus 100 by rotating the subject 1101 in the sequence ofhands 1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-3, 1101-4, and 1101-5 clockwise.

In FIG. 11, a zoom-in magnification of the camera 110 is successivelychanged as the subject 1101 successively makes the circle shape gesture1110, i.e., as the subject 1101 successively moves according to thesequence of the hands 1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-3, 1101-4, and 1101-5.However, the controller 140 in FIG. 11 stands by until an input of thecircle shape gesture is completely input, without driving the lens ofthe camera 110 in real time.

When the input of the circle shape gesture 1110 is completed by subject1101 according to the sequence of hands 1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-3, 1101-4,and 1101-5, the gesture recognizer 120 estimates a motion trace 1121 ofa subject 1101 based on a position in which the circle shape gesture1110, i.e., the input of the UI gesture is completed. At this time, themotion trace 1121 is based on a final magnification input according tothe circle shape gesture 1110. In the present example, zoom-inmagnifications of the circle shape gesture 1110 drawn by the hand1101-1, 1101-2, 1101-3, 1101-4, and 1101-5 are sequentially “twotimes→three times→four times→five times→six times”. The gesturerecognizer 120 can trace the motion trace 1121 by the circle shapegesture 1110 as a motion trace corresponding to the zoom-inmagnification of “six times”. Accordingly, the controller 140 controlsthe lens of the camera 110 to be 6× zoomed-in.

FIG. 12A illustrates an image displayed on the display unit of thecamera apparatus operating according to the method illustrated in FIG.9, and FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating an image input and shotthrough the lens of the camera apparatus. In the present example, thelens of the camera 110 performs analog zoom-in or zoom-out on a subject1200 through a forward movement or a backward movement, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 12A, an image including the subject is input into thelens of the camera 110, and then a first image frame 1201 is displayedon the display unit 154. When the zoom-in gesture is input by thesubject 1200, the controller 140 controls the camera apparatus 100 toperform a digital zoom-in operation of enlarging the first image frame1201 through software. Accordingly, a second image frame 1201 enlargedfrom the first image frame 1201 is displayed on the display unit 154. Inthe present example, the second image frame 1202 is generated byapplying a 2× zoom-in magnification to the first image frame 1201 forconvenience of description.

In FIG. 12A, the subject 1200 inputs the zoom-in gesture into the cameraapparatus 100 one more time after the second image frame 1202 isdisplayed. The controller 140 controls the camera apparatus 100 toperform a digital zoom-in operation of enlarging the second image frame1202 again through software. Accordingly, a third image frame 1203enlarged from the second image frame 1202 is displayed on the displayunit 154. In the present example, the third image frame 1203 isgenerated by applying a 2× zoom-in magnification to the second imageframe 1202 for convenience of description. Accordingly, the third imageframe 1203 is enlarged from the first frame 1201 four times.

When a shoot gesture is input from the subject 1200 after the thirdimage frame 1203 is displayed, the camera apparatus 100 performs ashooting operation. In the present example, the camera apparatus 100performs an analog zoom-in operation when a user input for the shootingis input. Accordingly, the controller 140 controls the lens of thecamera 110 to have the same magnification as that of the two digitalzoom-in operations.

Since the second image frame 1202 is 2× zoomed-in from the first imageframe 1201 and the third image frame 1203 is 2× zoomed in from thesecond image frame 1202, the third image frame 1203 is 4× zoomed in fromthe first image frame 1201. The controller 140 controls the camera 110such that the lens is 4× zoomed-in with the analog zoom. The cameraapparatus 100 performs the shooting operation to generate a fourth frame1204 in a state where the lens is 4× zoomed-in. As described above, thecamera apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment of the presentinvention prevents degradation of picture quality due to the digitalzoom by switching the digital zoom to the analog zoom and thenperforming the camera shooting operation.

FIG. 12B illustrates actual images input through the lens of the camera110 while the digital zoomed-in image frames 1201, 1202, and 1203 aredisplayed as illustrated in FIG. 12A. Referring to FIG. 12B, the actualimage input through the lens may be the same as the first image frame1201 input before the shoot gesture is input. When the shoot gesture isinput from the subject 1200, the camera apparatus 100 performs theanalog zoom-in operation to generate the fourth image frame 1204. Asdescribed above, the camera apparatus 100 according to the presentexample may not perform the analog zoom-in/out operation before theshoot gesture is input.

The digital zoom-in/out acquires a zoom effect by enlarging anddisplaying or reducing and displaying the image frame in a digitalprocessing manner. The digital zoom-in/out can be implemented throughsoftware and processed in real time. By contrast, the analog zoom-in/outcan be acquired by physically moving the internal or external lens ofthe camera apparatus 100. Accordingly, the analog zoom-in/out in thecamera apparatus 100 requires time taken when the lens physically movesby a distance corresponding to a zoom-in/out magnification. Meanwhile,with respect to a picture quality of the image frame, the analogzoom-in/out is substantially higher than a picture quality achieved byusing the digital zoom-in/out. Accordingly, before the user input forthe shooting is input, the image frame in which the digital zoom-in/outis processed is displayed on the display unit 154 in order to prevent aprocessing delay by time taken when the lens of the camera 110 moves.Further, when the user input for the shooting is input, the cameraapparatus 100 performs the analog zoom-in/out operation by moving thelens of the camera 110 by the previously digital zoomed-in/outmagnification.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a successive UI gesture and imageprocessing according to the successive UI gesture according to anembodiment of the present invention.

The successive UI gesture illustrated in FIG. 13 is associated with thezoom-in/out. A subject 1300 can requests a zoom-in/out operation bycompletely closing an opened hand, for example, by changing a shape ofthe hand into a first shape. When the above UI gesture is input into thecamera apparatus 100, a zoom bar 1310 for the zoom-in/out is displayedin upper ends of image frames 1301, 1302, and 1303. The zoom bar 1310includes at least one number indicating available zoom-in/outmagnifications and an identifier 1311 indicating a currentmagnification. In FIG. 13, the zoom-in/out magnification is indicated bya number above the identifier 1311.

Since the first image frame 1301 corresponds to an original image thathas not been zoomed-in/out, a number indicated by the identifier 1311 ofthe zoom bar 1310 is “1”. The subject 1300 moves the identifier 1311leftward or rightward by moving the closed hand leftward or rightward ina state where the zoom bar 1310 is displayed. In FIG. 13, the subject1300 moves the closed hand from a left side to a right side.Accordingly, the identifier of the zoom bar 1310 moves in an order of“1→4→7”. The second image frame 1302 is an image that is 4× zoomed-infrom the first image frame 1301, and the third image frame 1303 is animage that is 7× zoomed-in from the first image frame 1301. The subject1300 can perform the zoom-in/out operation with a desired magnificationby moving the closed hand leftward or rightward. Further, when thesubject 1300 is zoomed-in/out with the desired magnification, thesubject 1300 can make a request to stop the zoom-in/out operation and/orinitiate a camera shooting operation to the camera apparatus 100 byopening the closed hand. In FIG. 13, the subject 1300 requests a camerashooting operation to the camera apparatus 100 by completely opening theclosed hand. Accordingly, the camera apparatus 100 stores the thirdimage frame 1303, which is acquired after the subject 1300 moves thelens to be 7× zoomed-in, in the memory 130.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating a successive UI gesture andimage processing according to the successive UI gesture according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

The successive UI gesture illustrated in FIGS. 14A and 14B is alsoassociated with the zoom-in/out like in FIG. 13. In the exampleaccording to FIGS. 14A and 14B, a subject 1400 inputs a desiredzoom-in/out magnification into the camera apparatus 100 by shaking acompletely opened hand 1401 from side to side in a state where a zoombar 1410 is displayed through the display unit 154. According to anembodiment of the present invention, the hand 1401 may be displayedthrough the display unit 154 together with a first image frame 1421 andthe zoom bar 1410. The present embodiment allows the subject 1400 toinput a desired zoom-in/out magnification by displaying the hand 1401,in real time, together with the zoom bar 1410.

In a manner similar to the example according to FIG. 13, the zoom bar1410 of FIGS. 14A and 14B further include at least one number indicatingavailable zoom-in/out magnifications and an identifier 1411 indicating acurrent magnification. In FIGS. 14A and 14B, the current zoom-in/outmagnification is a number above the identifier 1411.

Since a first image frame 1421 corresponds to an original image that hasnot been zoomed-in/out, a number indicated by the identifier 1411 of thezoom bar 1410 is “1”. The subject 1400 can point to one of numbersdisplayed in the zoom bar 1410 by shaking the hand 1401 in a state wherethe zoom bar 1410 is displayed. The number pointed to by the hand 1401among the numbers displayed in the zoom bar 1410 is input to the cameraapparatus 100 as a magnification desired by the subject 1400.

In FIG. 14A, the hand 1401 points to a number “7” displayed in the zoombar 1410. Accordingly, the subject 1400 inputs “seven times” into thecamera apparatus 100 as the zoom-in magnification.

The camera 110 generates a second image frame 1422 in which the subject1400 of the first image frame 1421 is 7× zoomed-in, and the display unit154 simultaneously displays the second image frame 1422 and the zoom bar1411. Since the second image frame 1422 is an image which is 7×zoomed-in in comparison with the first image frame 1421, the identifier1411 of the zoom bar 1410 indicates a number “7”. The identifier 1411 ofthe zoom bar 1410 indicates a move from “1” to “7”.

Referring to a third image frame 1423 in FIG. 14B, the identifier 1411of the zoom bar 1410 indicates “7”. In the example according to FIG.14B, the third image frame 1423 is 7× zoomed-in from the first imageframe 1421 corresponding to the original image. In FIG. 14B, the hand1401 indicates “1” on the zoom bar 1410. More specifically, for thethird image frame 1423 that is 7× zoomed-in in comparison with the firstimage frame 1421, the subject 1400 inputs “one time” as the zoom-inmagnification. The camera 110 accordingly generates a fourth image frame1424 in which the subject 1400 of the third image frame 1423 is 1×zoomed-in, and the display unit 154 simultaneously displays the fourthimage frame 1424 and the zoom bar 1410. Since the fourth image frame1424 is an image that is 1/7× zoomed-in in comparison with the thirdimage frame 1423, that is, a 7× zoomed-out image, the identifier 1411 ofthe zoom bar 1410 indicates “1”.

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in software,hardware, or a combination thereof. Any such software may be stored, forexample, in a volatile or non-volatile storage device such as a ReadOnly Memory (ROM), a memory such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), amemory chip, a memory device, or a memory Integrated Circuit (IC), or arecordable optical or magnetic medium such as a Compact Disc (CD), aDigital Versatile Disc (DVD), a magnetic disk, or a magnetic tape,regardless of whether the memory can be erased or re-recorded. Thememory included in the mobile terminal is one example ofmachine-readable devices suitable for storing a program includinginstructions that are executed by a processor device to therebyimplement embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, embodimentsof the present invention may provide a program including codes forimplementing a system or method claimed in any claim of the accompanyingclaims and a machine-readable device for storing such a program.Further, this program may be electronically conveyed through any mediumsuch as a communication signal transferred via a wired or wirelessconnection, and embodiments of the present invention appropriatelyinclude equivalents thereto.

Further, the camera apparatus according to embodiments of the presentinvention can receive the program from a program providing apparatusconnected to the camera apparatus wirelessly or through a wiredconnection and can store the received program. The program providingapparatus may include a memory for storing a program containinginstructions for allowing the camera apparatus to perform a presetcontent protecting method and information required for the contentprotecting method, a communication unit for performing wired or wirelesscommunication with the camera apparatus, and a controller fortransmitting the corresponding program to the camera apparatus accordingto a request of the camera apparatus or automatically.

As described above, the present invention provides a method ofcontrolling an operation of a camera apparatus that allows the user toconveniently control an operation of a camera apparatus according to agesture of a subject input through a lens of a camera, as well as thecamera apparatus itself.

While the present invention has been shown and described with referenceto certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a camera; amemory; a display configured to display a first image and a second imagecaptured by the camera; and a controller configured to: detect, from thefirst image and the second image, a transition of a shape of a hand of auser between an opened hand and a closed hand, and permanently store athird image, captured after detecting the transition of the shape of thehand of the user, in the memory.
 2. The electronic device of the claim1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the hand ofthe user from the first image and the second image.
 3. The electronicdevice of the claim 1, wherein the controller detects the transition ofthe shape of the hand of the user by comparing the first image and thesecond image with an image stored in the memory.
 4. The electronicdevice of the claim 1, wherein the controller temporarily stores thefirst image and the second image to be displayed.
 5. A method ofoperating an electronic device, the method comprising: capturing a firstimage and a second image of a user; detecting, from the first image andthe second image, a transition of a shape of a hand of the user betweenan opened hand and a closed hand; and permanently storing a third image,captured after detecting the transition of the shape of the hand of theuser.
 6. The method of the claim 5, further comprising: detecting thehand of the user from the first image and the second image.
 7. Themethod of the claim 5, wherein detecting the transition of the shape ofthe hand of the user between the opened hand and the closed handcomprises: comparing the first image and the second image with imagestored in the memory.
 8. The method of the claim 5, further comprising:temporarily storing the first image and the second image to bedisplayed.